BEVERLEY LITERATURE FESTIVAL...Your teacher's film...

THE BEVERLEY LITERATURE FESTIVAL is taking place this weekend. Students might like to attend some of the events. One of the events is a film salon in The Treasure House and one of the films being screened was made by your teacher. Here is how the brochure describes my work:

Despite the appalling grammar, this summary offers an overview of the film's content. Click on link below to access the film:
http://vimeo.com/67155262

THERE IS A LITERATURE FESTIVAL IN YOUR TOWN. ENJOY.

YEAR 13 LESSON ELEVEN [11th Oct 13]: Homework.

The aim of this lesson was to discuss and address specific technical issues that were identified after the first set of A2 essays. There were some general faults that littered the written work and the aim of this lesson was to correct these faults. Students were made aware that:

• PHRASING needs to improve. Students must take care to articulate their views in a precise and coherent manner. Students were asked to respect the English Language! There is a lack of clarity within the written work of some students and this issue needs to be addressed.
• Students must explain how textual reference supports their view in a far more precise and convincing manner.
• Students need to develop their awareness of author's aim.

The task that was used to highlight these written issues was a modelling exercise. The class were encouraged to produce a paragraph that explored the significance of Shelley's use of language in the opening section of the novel. Students need to follow the paragraph structure proposed through this task.

• Opinion.
• Textual reference.
• Explanation of how text supports opinion.
• Confront the focus of the question and address author's aim. THIS IS THE FUSION MOMENT........

THIS PARAGRAPH STRUCTURE WILL HELP IMPROVE THE CLARITY OF WRITTEN WORK.

The final section of the lesson considered the significance of the creature's narrative and how/why Shelley attempts to represent the 'devil' in this way.

Homework: Students need to read Chapters 10 to 17. Next week students will be asked to construct an essay that will explore how/why Shelley presents the creature in this section of the novel therefore students must read these chapters and highlight/consider any key moments. Students should consider how Shelley wants the reader to react to the creature and how this shapes the reader's view of Victor.

READ READ READ READ READ. 

YEAR 12 LESSON TEN [9th Oct 13]: Homework.

The aim of today's session was to offer a final overview of potential content for the first Gatsby essay and discuss the key features of Chapter 2. This chapter introduces the characters of Myrtle and George Wilson and reinforces the hideous nature of the villainous Tom Buchanan.

Homework: I will be collecting the essay before the session on Tuesday. The essay title is:
HOW DOES FITZGERALD TELL THE STORY IN THE OPENING CHAPTER OF TGG?
Students need to place their personal AIM underneath the essay title. Read my comments from the last essay. The advice I offered through my marking of the first essay is the aim that you need to place at the beginning of this Gatsby essay.
Students also need to email me their GATSBY photographs. I will expect students to illustrate their explanation of why the image relates to the novel with specific reference to the text. Students must be textually specific. The image needs to relate to the first three chapters of the novel.
Student reading should focus on the first three chapters of the novel and the question that should dictate your reading is: WHAT KIND OF AMERICA IS BEING PRESENTED BY FITZGERALD IN THE FIRST THREE CHAPTERS OF THE GREAT GATSBY?
Students need to consider how this representation compares with the representation of America presented by Walt Whitman, Emma Lazarus, The Star Spangled Banner, and The Declaration of Independence.
This is a wonderful resource. An American Catholic priest discusses The Great Gatsby. Here Father Barron offers an overview of the first three chapters. Click on link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OLSVx84uPrY
The film trailer used to promote Baz Luhrmann's recent film version of the novel offers a really powerful representation of Gatsby's Parties. Click on link below:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rARN6agiW7o 

Good luck folks. Lots to do.

YEAR 13 LESSON TEN [9th Oct 13]: Homework.

The aim of this lesson was to discuss the impact of the creature as he enters Victor's narrative in Chapter 10 and discuss the relevance of Mary Shelley's use of Percy Shelley's MUTABILITY. Students were asked to consider why Mary Shelley uses her husband's poetry and how this illustrates Victor's state of mind. Students were encouraged to consider how Victor's negative perception of the ephemeral nature of being human amplifies his sense of isolation. This poem was linked to Victor's definition of 'human perfection' that he offers Walton in Chapter 4: ' A human being in perfection ought always to preserve a calm and peaceful mind, and never allow passion or a transitory desire to disturb his tranquillity.' Remember, this is the same chapter within which Victor states: '...how much happier that man is who believes his native town to be the world, than he who aspires to become greater than his nature will allow.' ALL these references serve to amplify Victor's retrospective sense of grief and regret after his experiments in the 'slaughterhouse' create the 'catastrophe'.
The second section of the lesson considered the students' first impression of the creature.

Homework: On Friday I will feedback my observations gathered from the opening set of essays and we will continue to discuss the creature. Students need to develop their awareness of:

• The philosophy of John Locke.
• The educational philosophy of Jean-Jacques Rousseau.
• How the creature is humanised.
• The narrative purpose of the De Lacey family.

Students need to read the creature's narrative as I will expect all students to support their view with specific textual reference. On Friday we will discuss how Shelley presents the creature and whether students feel that Shelley wishes the reader to sympathise with the creature.

YEAR 12 LESSON NINE [8th Oct 13]: Homework.

The aim of this session was to explore content appropriate for the essay title:
HOW DOES FITZGERALD TELL THE STORY IN THE OPENING CHAPTER OF TGG?
Class discussion explored the thematic nature of the opening chapters, author's aim and possible content for the LANGUAGE paragraph. Discussion briefly considered STRUCTURE. We will continue a discussion of STRUCTURE tomorrow.

Homework: Tomorrow we shall consider content for the FORM and STRUCTURE sections of the essay so students need to arrive armed with some opinion that is supported with specific textual reference.
A further homework is the photography task!! Students must send me a single image from the town of Beverley that relates in some way to the opening chapters of THE GREAT GATSBY. Students need to email me the image so that I can post this image to the blog. Students will be expected to explain their choice of image, supported with specific textual reference, at the beginning of the session on Tuesday. Get snapping LIT freaks.

THE ROMANTICS: The BBC documentary series.

The last link to this series did not work!! So here are some links that will allow students to digest this FANTASTIC series. Year 13 are studying Mary Shelley and Year 12 will be studying Coleridge so this series is relevant for ALL A LEVEL STUDENTS.
Liberty:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5CAMEK3GLOQ
Nature:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zfGugapN0hs
Eternity:
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9UF4_WACOTw
This series provides a really useful contextual resource for students. Any mammal interested in Literature should digest this wonderful series.

YEAR 13 LESSON NINE [4th Oct 13]: Homework.

The aim of today's session was to consider the role of the Natural World in the first ten chapters of Shelley's Frankenstein. Students were placed in groups to consider the ideas that Shelley is shaping through the representation of Nature. Students were asked to consider:

• The restorative/healing effect that Victor appears to experience when confronted with the majesty of the Natural World.
• Why the creature appears in Chapter 7 immediately after Victor states that 'This noble War in the sky elevated my spirits..'
• Why Victor appears to be disconnected from the healing power of the Natural World at the end of Chapter 9.

Discussion considered how Victor's seeming isolation from 'divine' and 'omnipotent' nature could be linked to the reading of the text as a Christian Fable. Students must develop an awareness of how Shelley uses Victor's relationship with Nature to shape meaning.

The second section of the session considered the narrative purpose of Justine. Thematic and philosophical links were made between Shelley's use of Nature and the ideas being expressed through Justine, the 'saintly sufferer', in Chapter 8. The class were asked to consider how they view Victor at the end of this chapter. Is he an arrogant coward drowning in his own self-pity or a man trapped in an impossible situation? How should the reader react to Victor's comments in Chapter 10 when he states:

'Justine died; she rested; and I was alive...' ?

Homework: Continue to read the text. Students need to be familiar with the introduction of the creature's narrative and our textual focus will be Chapters 10 to 12. Students must be aware of the key moments in these three chapters as this textual awareness will result in an informed and detailed class discussion.

Students must also provide a written response to the following questions:

1. How does Shelley use the Natural World in the first ten chapters of the novel?
2. What is the narrative significance of Justine?
3. What, in your opinion, is the key quote within the first ten chapters and why?

Students are expected to construct one paragraph in response to each question. The paragraph needs to follow the usual structure. This structure will allow students to construct a specific, detailed and concise response:

• Opinion.
• Supporting opinion with specific textual reference.
• Explaining how the textual reference supports your opinion.
• Concluding the paragraph with a FUSION of author's aim and specific question focus.

Remember, these questions are asking you to show an awareness of the key philosophical ideas being offered by Shelley within the first 10 chapters. This is a novel of 'ideas' and the aim of this task is for students to show me that class discussion is allowing students to develop an awareness of the key ideas being shaped by Shelley. I look forward to receiving your written work before our next session.